--- In Nikon-D50%40yahoogroups.com">Nikon-D50
yahoogroups.com, Pam Haley - Auntyfrog
<auntyfrog...> wrote:
>
> I always wipe down the body and outside of lens with a macro cloth
and
> remove and clean filter after an outing. Tonight when I went to
clean
> up my camera and lens, after our Mother's Day outing, I noticed
some
> large flecks of dust IN the lens - on the inside of the front
glass
> and a few pieces on the blades. The one on the glass is huge and
> plainly visible - it looks like a small leaf!
>
> I am so careful with the lenses - do not change lenses in dusty or
salt
> spray areas. Keep the lens in a case when not in use - put rear
cap on
> as soon as I remove lens from camera. I do not walk about with
lens in
> the extended position. I am just sick that, in spite of the above
> precautions, debris got in the lens
>;
> Does Nikon clean lenses? How does one go about sending lens for
> cleaning? The thought of boxing up my favorite lens and sending it
> across the ocean is giving me palpitations!
>
> Insights and recommendations appreciated.
Leave the uncapped lens on the window sill in bright sunlight for a
week or two to kill the fungus with UV from the sunlight, then
consider what you want to do.
IF the debris is loose then stripping and cleaning (CLA service) is
possibly the best bet, however if the coating has been etched you
need to consider the lenses value and cost of replacement, how much
effect the damage has to the optical quality (can you still use it or
is it useless) and factor in shipping etc before deciding whats to
do.
Some Nikon lenses are easy to strip and clean yourself, I've done my
135mm 2.8 Ai and an off brand 35mm 2.8 and 400mm 5.6, cleaning fungus
off inner elements etc, I've also stripped and cleaned a 75-300 AF-D
(bought as a non-working lens:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2480501167_e1f0b2a207_o.jpg shows
some of what it now does) and tried to rescue a sigma 24-70 AF-D that
turned out to have terminal fungus and element cement failure.
Nikon service centres, and some of the independents with good Nikon
connections have stock, or access to stock, of SOME replacement
elements, usually front (& some rear) elements as they take the most
punishment on Pro glass, 'cheap' amateur glass however may be a no
spares write off...though e-bay is one way of recovering some of the
value as some of us do buy faulty/for repair lenses to play with/fix
use for parts for another lens.
As to how it got in, you will find as any zoom extends it sucks in
air, and moisture (unlike sealed scopes/sights which can be filled
with dry nitrogen) and anything else thats around at the time, as do
longer focus travelling lenses like macro's, shorter travel still
sucks but the relative volume is much smaller. Very few zooms have
more than basic sliding covers so some ingestion bound to happen
anyway! As Edmund suggested get some dessicant and create some dry
storage if humidity is a problem, its not just lenses that can suffer
from high humidity, bodies can do too!
Niel.
.
